Sorbet Shade for Summer

As we move into the summer, you will be seeing more color and more dresses in my posts. A cotton or linen dress (or cotton or linen mixed with a little silk, which creates a beautiful blend) is just the thing to wear in the heat. This dress is a lightweight but stiff cotton poplin that should hold up well when the temperature goes above 90 degrees.

The heat is coming, I fear. But a loose fitting dress like this — which stands away from the body because of clever construction — will be comfortable when I have to be outside.

Clever dress, heat-fearing Washingtonian

Souvenir from River Walk

Rightly or wrongly, I think that a long necklace wouldn’t look right with the loose cut of this dress. A short necklace might work better with the dress’s silhouette, but would interfere with the very pretty outline created by the sleeves and neckline. So, a brooch it is!

I found this brooch years ago while taking a break during a conference in San Antonio. Where do you think I found it? That’s right: the River Walk! (In a store, not on the ground.) Costume jewelry like this is charming, but neither valuable nor expensive — and can be found on eBay.

Sparkly thing = The Dowager?

It did occur to me that some might consider a cluster of fake diamonds excessive for the office, so I tried another brooch — a lucite flower — which also looks pretty with this dress.

Alternative brooch; only a little bit sparkly

It looks like the Directrice is getting ready to vaporize someone with her gaze — but surely not, because the only one around is her devoted photographer

My devoted photographer and I tried to capture a few images of the seams and construction that give this dress its great shape.

Acute cap sleeves

Princess seams down the front and seams over the hips to define the skirt

The right side of this bias cut skirt is fuller than the left

Putting all the parts back together and viewing them from another angle here.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

How to finish this off? With my new summer shoes and bag, which you’ve seen before . . . but never like this.

Beloved liquid mercury shoes

Tory Burch Small York Tote in Light Oak; the peach undertone is sub-optimal with this dress, but I still like the look

I like this dress so much that I also bought it in black, which I plan to wear with a wide, black patent leather belt. Mull that over and then come take a look in a few weekshere.

5 thoughts on “Sorbet Shade for Summer”

Hi Rhizophora — An excellent question! Until you asked, I hadn’t fully thought this through. Because the dress is loose-fitting, anything I wear over it will just add volume. So, I will bring a jacket or sweater and wear it strictly for warmth when I get cold and take it off if I am not cold. I have an white, cotton open cardigan from Eileen Fisher (which falls between my waist and hip) that is the most compatible shape. Open (i.e. buttonless), drapey cardigans are very useful when you need a little warmth, but don’t intend to wear an extra layer all day, A short, shrug-like sweater might also work, but I don’t have one in a summer weight/knit.

This color is one of my favorites although I usually refer to it as a salmon color, I have several tops in this shade. The dress is nice, I like the shape and sleeves. Not sure about the shoes, I tend to wear stripy sandals here in California. I do like the purse.

The color works with your coloring and I will look forward to the black version styled as well. Great style to achieve workability in hot weather and sophistication along with it. Fabric in hot weather is everything. Pretty outfit.

Thank you for your answer. What I find most challenging about summer dressing is finding toppers for sleeveless dresses and blouses that keep you just warm enough but don’t look dowdy. Lovely color on you — like Sheila I’ve always thought of it as salmon.